New Super Mario Bros. Wii Review

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Platform: Wii Players: 1-4 Release: 2009 Genre: 2D Platformer Rating: 9.5 \ 10.0: Masterful

Many people enjoyed New Super Mario Bros. (me being among them),which became a millions-selling DS hit. But in some ways, this top-notch pseudo-sequel is just as good. The new story is better than its predecessor. It's Peach's birthday, and when her massive cake arrives, the Koopalings jump out of it (how they got in there, nobody knows) and carry her away. That's right-- the Koopalings, Bowser's magic wand-wielding children from Super Mario Bros. 3 and  Super Mario World (and not to mention Mario and Luigi: Super Star Saga). NSMBW also brings back another element just from SMB3: Bowser's Doom Ship. But of course, since it has "new" in its title, you'd expect the game to introduce new things. It does. There are new enemies, a new world, and more. There are also new power-ups. There's the Propeller Mushroom, which allows you to burst through the sky with a shake of your Wii Remote and slow down your descent the same way; and the Penguin Suit, which appears as a waddling penguin and gives Mario a penguin transformation and allows him to spit snowballs, slide on ice and water, and more. The Ice Flower isn't new, but it has a far different effect than it did in Super Mario Galaxy, the only other game which it has appeared. Rather than temporarily turning you to ice and allowing you to create frozen paths on water and lava, it simply allows you to hurl enemy-freezing snowballs. Unfortunately, the game completely lacks the fun minigames of its predecessor, but instead features two additional modes: Coin Battle, in which opposing players must race to collect the most coins scattered throughout a stage, and Free Play, in which you compete in stages in attempt to clear the majority of them first. The game also introduces four-player cooperative play in the main mode. In some parts of the game, you're going to really need some assistance, or else it can be infuriatingly difficult. This is why the game includes a Super Guide feature. If you die eight times in the same stage, a  green block will appear where you restart from. Hitting the block will enable you to make Luigi clear the stage for you, but he doesn't uncover secrets Among other improvements are the vastly upgraded music and the new varieties of Toad houses-- like ones that only contain only Super Stars to add to your power-up inventory-- a feature of Super Mario Bros 3. Also adding to the fun is the inclusion of Yoshis! Mario's prehistoric pal is now found in some stages, and in his first appearance in a Mario side-scroller since Super Mario World. (Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, SMW's 1995 Super NES pseudo-sequel, doesn't count) The game is at its best when you and three friends are all riding Yoshis simultaneously. But NSMBW scraps the homage to Toadsworth, the mustachioed and elderly Toad and Peach's butler, that was present in the original NSMB. But any of the flaws I mentioned are incredibly minor, and I can't recommend this game enough to platforming fans.  This is by far the greatest 2D platformer I've ever played.

Ups
New power-ups
New modes
Upgraded graphics and sound
Inclusion of Yoshi
Inclusion of the Koopalings
Chaotically fun multiplayer

Downs
Lack of minigames
Scrapped homage

ESRB: E Content: Comic Mischief Price: $49.99 (Retail)

Kid Icarus: Uprising Review

Kid Icarus: Uprising

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Sora Platform: 3DS Players: 1 (Adventure), 2-8 (Together) Release: 2012 Genre:  Third-Person-Shooter /  Adventure Rating: 9.4 \ 10.0: Excellent

“Sorry to keep you waiting!” says Pit as he bursts into action at the start of the game. The angelic protagonist, Pit, last appeared in 2008 in Super Smash Bros. Brawl (which was directed by the same person) but this statement is most likely related to the fact that he hasn’t starred in a solo game since 1991’s Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters for the Game Boy, which I never played. It’s not a sequel to that game, but it serves as a follow-up to the original Kid Icarus, which was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).

Enough with history talk— now comes the plot. The game is set 25 years after the original, which is the time between the releases of the two games. Pit is once again tasked with defeating Medusa and her Underworld army. Throughout the ques which is influenced by Greek mythology,  you must take down Medusa’s commanders. You'll also have to deal with Dark Pit, Pit’s evil doppelganger who’s created when Pit smashes the Mirror of Truth, which creates copies of whatever looks at it. Before beginning a stage (referred to as a chapter) you must select an “intensity” at the Fiend's Cauldron. The intensity ranges from 0.0 (virtually impossible to die) to 9.0 (virtually impossible to survive) Only 2.0 can be played for free. You’ll have to pay hearts (the game’s currency) to play at anything lower and wager hearts to play at a harder level. Each of the game’s stages are split into three segments: a five-minute flying sequence, a segment in which you must traverse the land, and a battle with one of Medusa’s commanders. The Goddess of Light, Palutena, chats with Pit throughout the game, and the games dialogue is very humorous, and occasionally contains Nintendo references (I faintly remember hearing a Nintendogs joke when I was battling a flaming three-headed dog). Strangely enough, the characters are aware they're in a video game. There are many other characters who Pit bickers with, including Dark Pit and Medusa. You even have a humorous dialogue with Medusa's commanders as you approach the end of the stage, and as you battle. The plot of Kid Icarus has a complex storyline. After slaying Medusa, you will encounter her creator, Hades, God of the Underworld. He creates a myth about a Wish Seed that can grant any wish, and informs the humans of its existence so that they'll fight each other to extinction over it.  And then, there's Viridi, Goddess of Nature, who thinks humans are ungrateful barbaric creatures that ruin the Earth, and tries to wipe them out with nuclear bombs (made from natural materials). Instead of wielding a simple bow throughout the game, you can amass an expansive arsenal ranging from nine weapon categories: blades, staffs, arms, claws, palms, orbitars, cannons, clubs, and bows. There are countless weapons, each one with a certain use. Weapons can be found randomly in treasure chests, earned by slaying bosses, and by other means. In addition to weapons, you can also assign several magic powers to your arsenal, including massive jump boosts, poisonous attacks, the ability to transform into a missile, the ability to summon a fiery explosion, and more. These powers are assigned to a grid, with each one assuming a different Tertromino-like shape based on value. You can have as many powers as you can manage to fit into the grid, and it feels like a fun jigsaw puzzle. In your Adventure mode menu, you can visit the arms altar. Here, you can convert weapons into hearts, purchase new ones, or fuse them together to make stronger ones. The game gives you weapons a value rating, so you'll know which weapon to turn into hearts if you end up with two of the same one. Your arsenal can be tested at the Practice Range. In addition to the epic single-player quest, there are two multiplayer modes: Free-For-All, in which you can battle numerous fellow KI: U owners in a large arena, and Light vs. Dark, in which you must team up to defeat your opponents. In Light vs. Dark, each team has a health gauge that depletes as your teammates die. When your teams gauge empties completely, the next team member who dies is reborn as either Pit (if you’re on the Light side) or Dark Pit (if you’re on the Dark side), and the opposing team must defeat him to win. There’s a twist: the more powerful your weapon, the more of your team’s health is eaten away when you die. The best performing player in a multiplayer match receives a mystery bonus: Either a weapon or power. You are also able to play these modes with CPU opponents with controllable difficulty, or have a private match with your buddies. As with the Super Smash Bros. series, you are able to collect countless trophies and listen to a musical pictures that can be viewed at any time. Which reminds me, whatever you're doing in the game, you'll be treated to a beautiful orchestrated musical score that combines amazing original pieces (most notably Dark Pit's theme) with improved rearrangements of classic tunes that were already great as chiptunes. The soundtrack trails not far behind the Super Mario Galaxy games on my list of favorite video game music, a very difficult feat for a game to accomplish. Even so, the game isn't perfect . Sometimes, even the default and low difficulty for the main game’s stages can be frustrating, and the touchscreen camera controls are mediocre. Additionally, this game makes it clear that the 3DS was not built for shooters. The clamshell design of the handheld doesn't allow for triggers, but thankfully, you're not forced to use either of the shoulder buttons. While it may sound awkward, I use the Y button to shoot. The system also doesn't have a right circle pad, meaning that you must either purchase the circle pad pro attachment to have tradtional aiming or use the touchscreen, which I found to be easier than most people did.

Kid Icarus: Uprising is very well worth playing. It's one of the best titles available for the 3DS, and an absolute must-have for any Nintendo fanatic. But either way, you should really give it a shot.

Ups
Epic single-player quest
Fun additional modes
Tons of extra content
Spectacular musical score
Hilarious script

Downs
Default difficulty can be frustrating
Mediocre touchscreen camera controls
System not built for shooters

ESRB: E 10+ Content: Comic Mischief, Fantasy Violence, and Mild Suggestive Themes Price: $39.99 (Retail / Download)

Super Mario 64 Review

Super Mario 64

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Platform: Nintendo 64 Players: 1 Release: 1996 Genre: 3D Platformer / Adventure Rating: 8.3 \ 10.0: Great

Sure, Super Mario 64 is old, but it’s widely regarded as one of the greatest videogames of all time. I don’t think it’s perfect, but it’s still pretty darn good. The plot has an unusual twist— Bowser doesn’t imprison Princess Peach in his lair— instead he traps her behind the stained glass window on the front of her own castle. At the start of the game, an invitation to the Mushroom Castle is read aloud by Peach, the camera rotates around Peach's courtyard, then focuses on the ground. A green Warp Pipe emerges, and out pops a full 3D model of Mario. Back in the mid-'90s, this was mind-blowing, and I can imagine why. This game revolutionized gaming with its full-3D environments and exploration. After crossing a bridge and walking through the door of the castle, you’ll see several doors marked with stars inside, and one that’s unmarked.  The numbered doors are locked at the start of the game, but the locked rooms can be accessed once you acquire the matching number of Power Stars, yellow stars that you must collect to complete a level, equal to the number on the door. Every room has one or more large paintings inside. When touched some paintings will teleport you to the course they’re represented by. Each course has 7 missions for you to complete, such as taking down a boss, racing a foe, collecting the 8 red coins hidden throughout the course, and more. Most courses are fairly small— they’re just large landmasses. Though the courses may be contain other small islands, they’re just as hard to explore. It takes a while to discover every secret and search every nook and cranny of the course, and it feels great to explore so freely. Crash Bandicoot may have been 3D, but it was linear. One minor annoyance is that because of the mission’s brevities, dying just once will send you hurtling back into the castle. Another quibble is that the difficultly continuously rises with each mission, up to the point where you want to give up. Also, the controls can be a bit loose and overly responsive at times— for example, if you accidently run in a circle when you intended to curve in a single direction, you’re likely to have to run in a few more loops before getting back on track. But platforming pros can use this to their advantage, such as using Mario’s overly responsive jumping to scale small mountainsides and the like. A new twist in the controls is Mario’s newfound ability to punch and kick. If you rapidly tap the B button three times in a row, Mario will perform punches on the fist two taps, and a kick on the third. Kicks sometimes destroy objects and enemies that you would otherwise pick up, like  crates and Bob-ombs. In addition to combos, Mario can perform other attacks, such as lunging forward by pressing B while moving forwards. Also, minor visual glitches sometimes occur, but it's a small issue that you likely will not care about. Despite these minor problems, there’s an excellent adventure to be played through. It can be immensely satisfying to discover the games many secrets. Throughout the game, you’ll meet friendly Bob-ombs, a fleet-footed Koopa, a mother penguin who’s lost her baby, an owl who flies you over courses, and other characters. Super Mario 64 is a highly entertaining classic, and it’s not to be missed by any Mario diehard.

Ups3D-ness!!!
Non-linear
New moves
Satisfying-to-discover secrets
Unique characters

Downs
1 death means restarting the stage
Frustrating difficulty rise
Loose and overly responsive controls
Minor visual glitches (but who cares?)

ESRB: E Content: ??? Price: $10.00 (Download)

Super Mario 64 DS Review

Super Mario 64 DS

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Platform: Nintendo DS Players: 1 (Adventure, Minigames), 2-4 (Vs.) Release: 2004 Genre: 3D Platformer / Adventure Rating: 9.0 \ 10.0: Masterful

I may have already played the original Super Mario 64 via Wii Virtual Console and liked it a lot, but in some ways, this portable remake, also a DS launch title (as was Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64), is better. After you receive a letter form Princess Peach inviting Mario to come to the castle for cake, a Lakitu Bro. begins circling around Peach Castle with a video camera, and you see Yoshi sleeping on the roof. Let me get this straight, Lakitu Bros. are helpful Lakitus, unlike the spiky bug-tossing enemies you’ll encounter. Mario then pops out of a pipe near the castle, followed by Luigi and Wario. Then Luigi jumps on Wario’s head, and get the pleasure of viewing a short animated fight sequence. As the three mustachioed heroes (one being a troublesome brute) enter the Mushroom Castle, Yoshi awakens and asks the Lakitu Bro. where Mario is, thus beginning your adventure. As it turns out, Mario, Luigi and Wario, and Peach have been trapped inside the castle. Yes, it may seem like a hindrance that you can’t play as Mario at the start of the game, but after defeating Goomboss the Goomba king on a hidden course, you obtain the key to unlocking Mario from behind a door. Walking through this door changes you from your current character to Mario and vice versa (if you're playing as Yoshi, that is). Beside that door are the doors which Luigi and Wario are trapped behind. The only other way to play as another character is to dispatch the enemy wearing that character’s hat and touch it. Unfortunately, you’ll lose the cap if you take  a single enemy hit. But playing as Yoshi has its advantages. You can swallow enemies and turn them into eggs, and his famous flutter kick, makes reaching high places easy. There are four power-ups to use. There’s the Koopa shell, returning from the original SM64, which you can ride around on and plow through enemies; the Mushroom, which makes temporarily gigantic and invincible; the Wing Cap, a Mario-only power-up that allows you to soar over the landscape and reach high places; and the Power Flower, a plant that grants you a special ability depending on the character you’re playing as. Mario’s ability is to swell up and float. Yoshi’s ability is to breathe fire. Luigi’s ability is to become invisible, allowing him to pass through certain enemies and objects. And Wario’s ability is to turn to metal, making him immune and allowing him to walk on the seabed in underwater areas. If you're a player of the original SM64 and think Luigi and Wario's superpowers sound similar to the effects of the Vanishing and Metal Caps, you're not wrong. In fact, they're literally replaced by those powers-- there's now only one Question Mark Switch and  one color of item-holding blocks (the red Question Mark Block). Unfortunately, this remake brings back of the issues of the original SM64. Minor (and sometimes major) visual glitches sometimes occur, and just one death will earn you a hurl back into the castle if you're not already there. Also, the playable characters walk sluggishly, and the only way to pick up the pace without holding X or Y to dash is to walk without stopping for several seconds. Even then, you'll be wishing you would move faster. All the playable characters but Mario have different strengths and weak points. Mario is rounded, Yoshi and Luigi jump very high, but Luigi’s low on power, and Yoshi can’t even attack-- he can only swallow enemies and objects to turn them into eggs or single bursts of fire to breath. Wario lacks speed and agility (not to mention intelligence), but he's able to smash large objects and can punch enemies all the way across the screen! And I got this all from the instruction manual. One of the biggest differences between SM64DS and the original is the fact that there are 150 Power Stars to collects-- 30 more than in the original. There’s also a new room in then castle-- the Rec Room, a place where Peach used to play as a child. It not only contains old toys, but you can find a hidden star by jumping into the painting of a beach. There’s also a door that can be entered only after you’ve obtained eight stars. Behind is a room with a window with a balcony behind it and a painting of Mario. Ironically enough, passing through the painting brings you to the course in which you must battle Goomboss for the key to rescuing Mario. Also, selecting the Rec Room icon from the home menu allows you to play minigames which you can unlock by catching rabbits in the castle. As you choose a minigame, the World 1 world map music from Super Mario Bros. 3, reminding me of the good and bad times I had with that classic.  I’d already played some of these minigames in New Super Mario Bros., so they felt a bit dull, having been played by me so many times in the past but they're still mildly enjoyable, although there's also a large chunk of minigames that weren't featured in New Super Mario Bros., all of which are enjoyable. To be fair, this game was released before NSMB, but the former was the first Mario game I ever played. There's also a Vs. mode, where you and up to three DS owners can battle each other to obtain stars in a wireless free-for-all via Download Play. Although it brings back some of the flaws of the original, Super Mario 64 DS is superior to the original in pretty much every way. The gameplay, the music, although recycled from the original, hasn't aged a bit and is still amazing. The graphics have been most significantly improved. The character design, and object detail have all been vastly enhanced, although the vibrant, impressive, and smooth texture works now look blocky and ridged from some angles. This is a launch title of a decade-old system, and the visuals still rank among some of the best ever seen on the DS. This is a little sad, given that DS titles were already visually inferior to console games at the launch of the system. Another improvement that's very helpful is stage map displayed on the touchscreen. You can even move by sliding the stylus across the touchscreen. Many may argue that the original is better, but I wasn't raised in the olden days of gaming, and I'm not as used to the classics. Despite these very minor faults, SM64DS is a top-notch remake of a fondly remembered classic, a platforming masterpiece, and one of the best portable titles I've ever played.

Ups
Fun minigames
Vs. Mode
Improved visuals and sound
One of the best-looking games on DS
Touchscreen map

Downs
Not many issues fixed
Blocky, ridged textures

ESRB: E Content: Mild Cartoon Violence Price: $19.99 (Retail)

Mighty Switch Force! Review

Mighty Switch Force!

Publisher: WayForward Developer: WayForward Platform: 3DS Players: 1 Release: 2011 Genre: Action / 2D Platformer Rating: 7.2 \ 10.0: Good 


Mighty Switch Force! is a combination of a platformer and a run-and-gun game. In it, you play as Patricia Wagon, a robotic law enforcer who must stop the evil Space Hooligans who have hid throughout the game's futuristic setting, Planet Land. The sprite-based 2D graphics are very impressive-- they, too, seem futuristic. The gameplay is nice and the action is solid, but this downloadable title does have its flaws. Being 21 stages long, the game is fairly short. The goal of each stage is to track down all 5 chained-up Hooligan Sisters, who are part of the Space Hooligans gang. The stages are full of environment-based puzzles, most involving blocks. Some of the blocks are solid, and others appear faintly in the background. The press of a button activates Patricia's Siren Helmet, causing the move the background blocks to move to the foreground, and vice versa. While this strategy is mostly used to solve puzzles, you can also use it to smash enemies into the screen.
The brain-bending puzzles sometimes frustrate me, making all deaths caused by blocks to feel undeserved, making it so there's nothing in the game that's less amusing than accidentally smashing yourself into the screen. I think that laser-gun-based firefights are far more enjoyable. I get into them a lot, and I have the most fun when I'm battling. Some puzzles really set me off, such as on Incident .06, where there are red and blue blocks with body heat-activated locks. When locked, these blocks can't be shifted. The nice stage design makes up for the somewhat high difficulty and frustrating puzzles.  In fact, the stage design lead to some high levels of entertainment in early stages, encouraging me to never stop trying. Mighty Switch Force! is a fun game, but I slightly overestimated it.

Ups
Impressive sprite-based visuals
Fun firefights
Neat premise

Downs
Very difficult

ESRB: E 10+ Content: Fantasy Violence and Suggestive Themes Price: $5.99 (Download)

Rayman Origins Review

Rayman Origins

Publisher: Ubisoft Developer: Ubisoft Montpellier Platform: Wii Players: 1-4 Release: 2011 Genre: 2D Platformer Rating: 9.4 / 10.0: Excellent

I have always somewhat thought of video games as a form of art, but this is the game that made that perfectly clear to me. The first thing you'll notice about Rayman Origins is how bizarre yet beautiful it is. The cover art implies that this isn't exactly the most normal game you'll ever, and the plot reinforces this— Rayman, the limbless star of the game and his pals are resting in the Glade of Dreams, and there loud snoring annoys the residents of the Land of the Livid Dead, thus starting a war. The excellently designed levels are chock-full of strange enemies and hazards. This is especially noticeable in the Desert of Didgeridoos, a music-themed world where you'll bounce on drums, ride a sentient flying flute, avoid waves on violin strings, and more. If you're a completionist, than I wish you luck in rescuing all 246 groups of captured Electoons, the impish inhabitants of the Glade. Electoons are required to unlock new characters which are found at the Snoring Tree, the home of the Bubble Dreamer, the being who dreams Rayman’s world into existence.

You gain a new ability the first level of worlds one through five freeing a Nymph, a magical resident of the Glade. You gain the ability to attack in the first world, the ability to hover in the second, the ability to fit through small passages by shrinking in the third, the ability to dive underwater in the fourth, and the ability to run up walls by sprinting in  the fifth. After completing the fifth world, you gain access to four more areas which are essentially harder versions of the lands you've already traverse. In addition to being a large surprise, this is perfectly fair, as by the time you've overcome the previous challenges, you'll be well prepared for what lies ahead. Because you've obtained every power, you'll also see some new obstacles in environments where you wouldn't have before. You must defeat a massive boss at the end of each one thus, freeing the world’s king. Beating the first four special boss levels, Poor Little Daisy, To Bubblize a Mockingbird, My Heartburn’s For You, and Murray of the Deep, gives you access to the tenth and final world, Moody Clouds. I’ve got to the final level, The Reveal, and I won’t spoil who the villain is. But that's still not the end of the game! The main thing I don’t like about Rayman Origins is that  the game is very difficult but has no way to save your progress mid-stage, which is why I recommend this to advanced gamers. When stuff gets tough, I commonly take a suicidal dive into a pit just so I can restart from the previous checkpoint with more a magic heart to shield me from an extra hit (you have unlimited lives). The short Treasure Chase levels in which you pursue a sentient, sentient, cyclopean treasure chest through a deadly gauntlet add to the challenge, but also to the fun. By completing these stages, you will obtain a red gem that is apparently a tooth of a strange elderly creature that resides in the Bubble Dreamer's tree house. Collect 'em all, and you'll get a surprise that will truly test your skills.

This game is an enjoyable romp solo, but you can bring up to three pals along for chaotic New Super Mario Bros. Wii-style co-op that lets your group slap each other silly with little consequence. I could never quite put my finger on what was just so appealing about this game when I first played it, but I've figured it out. As I mentioned earlier, this game is a visual marvel. Thanks to the powerful UbiArt engine, Origins sports beautiful hand-drawn graphics and even better animation. Everything's just so flowing and smooth— it's hard to explain, and this game would make an excellent cartoon. The music is one of the most important elements of the silly, cartoony vibe. It's a joy to hear the high-pitched acapella present in many tracks, but much of the music is legitimately catchy and enjoyable. When an orchestra is thrown in, it isn't simply generic stock-sounding tunes, it's epic and inspirational. Incredibly hard or not, Rayman Origins is simply fantastic! It's a platforming masterpiece, and one of the must creative and humorous titles I've ever played.

Ups
Fun multiplayer madness
Very creative and humorous
Chaotic co-op with literal slapstick humor
Gorgeous hand-drawn visuals and animation
Silly, catchy, and occasionally epic score
Tons of variety

Downs
Very difficult with no mid-stage saving

Also available on Xbox 360, Xbox One (via backwards compatibility), PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, 3DS, and PC.

ESRB: E 10+ Content: Comic Mischief, Mild Cartoon Violence, and Suggestive Themes Price: $39.99 (Retail)

Super Mario 3D Land Review

Super Mario 3D Land

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo / Brownie Brown Platform: Nintendo 3DS Players: 1 Release: 2011 Genre: 3D Platformer / Adventure  Rating: 9.8 \ 10.0: Masterful

Above is one of the game's airship stages
 

If you want a fantastic linear 3D platforming experience, look no further-- Super Mario 3D Land is for you. A large amount of effort was clearly put into developing this game-- the soundtrack is fantastic, and the 3D visuals are very impressive, though close-up images appear far more pixilated than they appear when playing the game. It’s a rare occurrence to view a cut-scene in this game, but the few that are seen are very well-rendered. Another one of the many reasons it’s so good is the fact that it takes many cues from the 1990 Nintendo Entertainment System classic, Super Mario Bros. 3. The story is the same as usual-- Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach-- though this game is a perfect blend of the finest elements of Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario 64, and the New Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Galaxy games, making it feel like a best-of compilation of everything great about Mario. This entry brings back the iconic Super Leaf-- a power-up that grants you the raccoon-like Tanooki Suit. It no longer grants you the power of flight as it did many years ago when it first appeared in SMB3, but it now allows you to slowly flutter through the air, which proves. The Super Leaf’s return continued in Mario Kart 7, which was released soon after. Also brought back from SMB3 are airship stages, which are far easier than they were the last time they were brought back in 2009 and included in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Even Boom Boom of SMB3 fame returns as a recurring miniboss. That’s not to say nothing is new about 3D Land. There’s a new boss: Boom Boom's sister, the boomerang-throwing Pom Pom. There is also a handful of new power-ups: The Boomerang Flower, which grants you the shell and helmet of a Boomerang Bro and allows you to throw boomerangs; and the Statue Leaf, a stone Super Leaf that allows you to turn into a near-invincible statue temporarily by pressing L or R in midair. There are two other power-ups that only appear if you’ve died many times during the same stage: The Invincibility Leaf, which grants you a Tanooki Suit and everlasting invincibility, and the P-Wing, which warps you to a spot near the end-of-level flagpole (AKA, Goal Pole). There are also many new enemies, such as Prongos, Wallops, Coin Coffers, and many more. You’ll even see Goombas, Thwomps, Bullet Bills, and Boos sporting a Tanooki tail, which is easily explainable because all the Tanooki leaves blew off a tailed tree and spread out across the Mushroom Kingdom during the game’s first cut-scene. Some tailed enemies even drop a Tanooki Leaf upon defeat! (On normal worlds, they drop a regular Super Leaf. On special worlds, they’re likely to drop a Statue Leaf.) There are even new blocks! First, there are Warp Boxes. These cubical teleportation devices warp you to a different part of the stage. The other new block type is the Super Note Block, a wide rainbow cube that causes you to fly straight up to a secret area made up of clouds. Although it's related to the Note Block from Super Mario Bros. 3, it’s still new. There’s even a new type of Question-Mark Block that’s the length of three normal blocks-- they normally releases three coins when struck, and sometimes two coins and a power-up. And there's a new way to obtain power-ups-- there are randomly generated Mystery Boxes. In them, you have ten seconds to defeat all the enemies within, and you'll be rewarded with a shower of coins and a Star Medal. Additionally, there are Toad Houses. Like in other Mario games, these fungus-shaped shacks houses contain power-ups, and in the case of World 3, a photo album. You can also receive them from other players via 3DS StreetPass. The difficulty level is steady, but can be mildly frustrating-- the game starts out as a cakewalk and starts becoming very challenging. There are even a whole new batch of catchy tunes, with only several recycled from previous titles. One of the game's greatest inclusions is the focus on the hardware features. There are gyroscopically controlled cameras in some stages and a heavy focus on 3D effects. There are two different 3D depth options-- Standard and Extended, as well as secret rooms with 3D illusions that are revealed by stepping on a plate. Mario is the king of 2D platforming,  and this game feels similar to his side-scrolling outings due to its linear design. While previous 3D Mario platformers have been focused heavily on free-roaming exploration, while Super Mario 3D Land retains the feel of Mario classics that just makes everything click perfectly.  And also, while previous Mario platformers have contained themed worlds, Super Mario 3D Land mixes things up with tons of completely varied stages that show how creative the game can be. This is not only one of the greatest Mario games I’ve ever played, but one of my all-time favorite video games, and I very highly recommend it. I doubt there will ever be a better reason to own a Nintendo 3DS.

Ups
Reintroduction of the Super Leaf
Incredible visuals
Eye-popping 3D effects
Tons of new features
Super Mario Bros. 3 references
Focus on hardware capabilities

Downs
Occasionally unsteady difficulty level

ESRB: E Content: Mild Cartoon Violence Price: $29.99 (Retail / Download)